We would like to
thank the local libraries, schools, and universities for recommending students
to visit us when doing research on any of our information topics.
Please check back frequently as new topics are added and current topics are
updated daily.

How You Can Create Advertising That Sells

A well-planned and properly executed marketing program should
include a sufficient commitment of capital resources to an
on-going, well executed advertising program. Yes, this includes
your business.

Businesses spend too many dollars, however, on ads that simply
will not result in increased sales and profits. These ads are
poorly conceived, poorly written, poorly designed, poorly
targeted, and poorly placed.

Sounds like a poor way to do business, doesn't it?

I often ask clients (as tactfully as possible), why they have
run a particular ad. I get a lot of blank stares. A few tense
moments will pass while the client tries to think of a clever
answer. "To get the company name out in front of the public so I
can get more business." they reply, with some relief.

This poor soul has just described a lack of a well defined
goal, which leads almost inevitably to what I call an
institutional ad. An institutional ad can best be described as
one which identifies the advertiser and lists address, telephone
number, hours of operation, and (maybe) the company logo. That's
it. What a terrible waste of money!

Unless your company grosses a billion dollars a year, you
can't afford to do institutional ads. If your company does gross
over a billion dollars a year...you're probably too smart to run
institutional ads.

Every ad you run must result in increased sales and profits
and an enhanced image for your company. Every ad should make the
customer a solid offer and give the customer sound reasons to buy
from you now. Remember, the customer is sitting back and asking,
"What can you do for me?" If you're careful to answer that
question with a powerful offer and reasons to buy now, you're on
your way to advertising success...which results in increased
sales and profits.

How can you improve your chances of increasing sales?

Let's look at some profit-producing ideas...

SEEK PROFESSIONAL HELP

Very few businesses are prepared or qualified to produce
quality advertising. If you spend more than $2,000 per month in
advertising, you should seriously consider hiring a qualified
advertising professional. There are any number of skilled
freelancers who can develop strategy, and create your marketing
materials with a keen eye to using proven methods and
techniques.

If your resources are limited, don't feel lost. There's no
reason why you can't learn to write an effective ad. That's what
the rest of this article is all about...how *you* can create
advertising that sells.

FOLLOW A PROVEN FORMULA

One of the oldest and most useful formulas for ad design takes
its name from the opera Aida by Giuseppe Verde. In this case the
letters A-I-D-A stand for ATTENTION, INTEREST, DESIRE, AND
ACTION.

In it's simplest form this formula serves as a structural
blueprint. It guides us to: (1) Get the prospect's Attention, (2)
Foster his or her Interest in your offer, (3) build Desire for
your product or service and (4) Generate some type of Action on
the part of the buyer.

As we expand on each of these elements individually, you'll
discover for yourself how to apply the formula to your specific
situation.

ATTENTION (The Headline)

Hit your prospect right between the eyes with a magic wand.
How? With a powerful benefit headline. The headline is the most
important single element of your ad. You have two to three
seconds to stop the reader as he or she passes by. You must stop
the reader, and interest them in your benefit, if you expect them
to read further.

A powerful headline will (1) stop the reader (2) isolate and
qualify your best prospects, and (3) pull your reader into the
sub-heads and body copy.

How do you write the attention-getting headline? First,
carefully review all the benefits of-use of your product or
service. Second, take your most important benefit and weave that
benefit into your headline. Use action words to describe the
benefit to one individual reader.

Here are some examples...

"Save 50% On Office Supplies...Send For Your Free Catalog
Today !"

"How YOU Can Create Advertising That SELLS!"

"New! Amazing Techniques That You Can Use To Land A
High-Paying Job...Today!"

"How To Design Profit-Producing Web Sites That SELL!"

APPEALING TO BUSINESS EXECUTIVES

When writing your ad to a business-to-business audience you
should keep in mind the six key benefits most likely to get
attention:

Most other benefits are subordinate to these key six. I call
them the"Business Benefit Six-Pack." Show your customer how your
product or service provides these benefits, and you will
dramatically improve your results.

Tip # 2: Words sell...graphic design displays the words in a
visually appealing way. Don't confuse the two. No amount of
trendy design will make a poorly written ad sell for you. Good
design reinforces good copy...it cannot take the place of it! The
implication for internet marketers is that content is king. Avoid
glitsy, moving graphics that only distract from your message and
increase load times. Good design and good copy should work
synergistically.

Tip #3: Long copy sells...as long as it's good copy. I call it
"greased slide" copy. You get the reader on the top of the slide
when he reads a powerful headline, and he can't get off until he
has taken the action asked for (i.e., ordered the product, made
the trip to the store, dialed the phone, clicked the
order/inquiry button, filled out the on-line order, etc.).

ACTION(Ask For The Order)

Now comes the moment of truth. You must ask for the order.
Give reasons for the customer to buy now...and make it easy for
him to do so. In direct response marketing, this will involve a
coupon for mail orders, a toll-free order line, an e-mail
address, an on-line order form, a fax order line..any means to
make it easy and simple to order!

Take the fear out of the purchase. Give solid guarantees.
Offer secure ordering for on-line customers. Show testimonials
from satisfied customers.

Show what the customer is going to lose if he doesn't order
now.

If you are a retailer, include a map to your store(s)
(newcomers love them). Show the credit cards you accept, list the
hours of operation, tell them about your friendly staff, include
a special coupon or other incentive. In other words, "Roll out
the red carpet."

INVEST IN FUTURE PROFITS

So there you have it. A primer on good advertising. If I've
piqued your interest to learn more, then check out the other
articles available at this resource.

Remember, bad advertising...no matter what the media...is an
unproductive expense.

Good advertising is an investment in future profits!

Good advertising and good management go together. You can't
have a successful business on-line or off-line---without
both.

And here's....Marcel: Publicis unveils its AI systemCampaign Asia-PacificIn June last year, Publicis shocked the industry with a declaration that it would be pulling its marketing and awards budget for a year to invest in Marcel. Despite some internal outcry, Carla Serrano, chief strategy officer at Publicis Groupe told ...and more »

Gridsum Recognized with Three IAI International Advertising AwardsPR Newswire (press release)The IAI is hosted by the Advertising School of the Communication University of China, the China Advertising Association of Commerce, and is jointly organized by the IAI International Advertising Institute, and strategically supported by the CCTV ...

How Data Will Come Into Play in OTT AdvertisingAdweekClearly, there's strong appetite for OTT advertising as advertisers know that they must follow their audiences. According to TDG Research, ad spend in OTT is projected to hit $40 billion by 2020, which is nearly half of the $85 billion in forecasted ...

Victoria's Secret Is Still Advertising to Women Like It's 1999BloombergVictoria's Secret was founded during one sexual revolution. It's not clear it'll make it through the next one. While still the dominant lingerie retailer in the U.S., Victoria's Secret sales have dropped in each of the past six quarters and show few ...

ADVERTISING RELATED ARTICLES:God Bless The
Refrigerator Magnet!
Ah, my very favorite promotional product of all, the
refrigerator magnet. They are my favorite, because they are
so extremely inexpensive, and extremely effective in
getting your company name seen in countless locations.
Fax Advertising :
Hitting Your Target Immediately
In the business of marketing and advertising, it used to be
that companies that wanted to get the word out quickly to
key customers on a new development would rely on email with
follow-up phone calls. But with the new technologies
available in fax broadcasting, fax advertising has taken
over as the advertising medium of choice when it comes to
contacting your customers at the speed of light.
Do Your Radio Ads
Work?
Most small businesses don't have a high powered advertising
agency to produce selling radio commercials for them and
end up with something akin to a high school play, or with
the business owner reading tired copy. The radio salesperson
knows that by suggesting the owner be the star, visions of
Dave from Wendy's or that guy with the talking dog who says
"roll that beautiful bean footage" come to mind.
If You're Tired Of
Adverts That Don't Work And Letters That Don't Sell, Then
You Must Read This
Over the 32 years I've been involved in sales, marketing
and management, I've discovered that there are two fatal
marketing mistakes made by business owners. They are?·
Lack of focus· Lack of implementationThere's certainly
no shortage of ideas and information - the world is full of
it - but what are you doing with it all? Let's do a quick
reality check here and now:· How frequently do you get
in touch with your customers?· How far up your
hierarchy of buyers do you go?· What actions are you
taking to make next week, next month or next year
better?Pick one thing you've always meant to do and do it
tomorrow to start marketing your business more effectively.
Is there anything new
under the sun? Here's how to find out if your bright idea is
unique.
"There's nothing new under the sun" is probably the
one phrase no inventor wants to hear, seldom believes, and
is always trying to prove wrong. However, moving too
quickly to prototype stage and first disclosure can turn
out to be costly for the inventor who doesn't take the time
to find out if his or her invention is already patented.
What the Newspaper Ad
Person Won't Tell You
Newspapers are considered the PRIMARY advertising medium by
99.4% of all retailers.
How to Create Ads that
Sell with Little Effort
One of the main problems people find with marketing, is the
actual selling. How can you create ads which sell? Well
there are tons of articles, and pay for e-books to help you
create ad copy, but there is a free and easy way to create
your own ads which sell, sell sell.
Successful Print
Advertising Designs
Do you often see print advertisements outdoors, as much as
you see Web advertisements when you surf through the Web?
I'm pretty sure that you have entirely different views and
reactions upon seeing and actually taking notice to these
two different kinds of advertising. The differences may
vary in their use of color, typefaces, and space.
Heard A Good Radio Ad
Lately? Neither Have We
To many ad agencies, radio is considered advertising's ugly
stepchild. It's not sexy like television and is treated as
a necessary evil with little effort put into it.
Small Cards, Big Ideas:
Alternative Uses for Business Cards
Aggressive business card marketing isn't about handing your
business cards out to everyone you see.The card itself must
have a new use, an innovative design, or something other
than the usual contact information printed on it.
Advertainment is Sneaking
Into Music, Movies, TV and More
The very name "advertainment" sends thrilling vibrations up
the spine of anyone with marketing in their blood or
communication in their genes. And it produces a strong
shiver of disgust from many of my colleagues in the music
industry.
Why I Like The Ads I
Hate!
It's been said that the antidote to liking/loving is not
hating, but indifference. So, when an ad makes you angry or
disgusted or evokes any other strong emotion, it has done
it's job.
How To Make Your Resource
Box Sell
Ezine Articles - they're everywhere!And little wonder.
They're one of the fastestways of building traffic to your
website.
How To Track Your
Advertising Like A Hawk
Tired of pouring endless money into advertising? Do you
wonder which ads are "REALLY" working for the business you
manage? Would you like a bullet-proof system for capturing
the results from your advertising and marketing? Below are
three concepts that will enable you to track your
advertising and marketing like a hawk! Really, it's that
simple! Developing a tracking system: As a business
owner/executive/manager, you need an efficient way to
record and evaluate the results from your advertising and
marketing programs. To get started, you will need a
"prospect card" which includes a list of ALL the places you
advertise and market your company.
Advertise Where Its
Forbidden To
The most common way to drive people to your business site
is advertising. You cannot succeed without advertising,
this is a fact.
Too Much Build-Up:
Over-Zealous Ad Copy Can Break The Sale
How many times has this happened to you? A friend recommends
a film that just came out: "You've GOT to see this movie!
It's SO (funny, scary, suspenseful, etc.).
See How to Advertise and
Gain More Money to Blast Another Project
We have a Great News that we think that may interest you as
a Business owner. It is about a Advertising Agency that are
preparing to launch and incredible system to help business
to earn constant cashflow.
Make Your Business Cards
Work
What's the cheapest, most under-used marketing tool you
have?The answer's no secret ..
Advertising on a Budget
-- Part 2: Thinking Small
This is the second article of a three-part series. I'm
illustrating the marketing challenges of a small business,
PrescottWeddings.
Electronic Display
Boards
Electronic display boards signify high priority messaging,
allowing you to communicate critical, and time-sensitive
information.Electronic display boards are present at many
fast food restaurants today, aiding, and restaurants to
increase sales, publicity and improve their service to you.